Keeping my viewfinders on....

T

trix4ever

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I'm sure I'm not the first, cheap hair ties, works a treat...
Leica M6 0.85 with Canon LTM 35mm f/1.8
Leica M4-2 with Zeiss 21mm f/4.5
Leica M240 with Zeiss 28mm f/2.8


http://filmisadelight.com
 
Actually I started doing this when my 21mm zeiss finder fell off my CLE. Then I bought the 28mm Leica plastic finder and it's so loose in my M240 hot shoe that if I tilt it backwards the finder slides out, so the need for the hair tie. The M240 shoe is fine with every other accessory, so it's like the finder shoe tabs are too thin, which is weird when it looks like new.

Anyway, glad to amuse you.




http://filmisadelight.com
 
I put duct tape or masking tape on the foot of my 12mm finder, which mysteriously doesn't make the finder much more difficult to put on but alot harder to take off.


I don't understand how people don't do this (or that^) to their finders and not drop them all the time.
 
What I find amazing is that 64 years after the M3 was introduced Leica never came up with an locking system for aux finders. Instead users are left with jury rigging a solution to avoid loss of a finder that often can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.
 
zuiko85 said:
What I find amazing is that 64 years after the M3 was introduced Leica never came up with an locking system for aux finders. Instead users are left with jury rigging a solution to avoid loss of a finder that often can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.
Click to expand...


My 21mm Leitz plastic finder does have a locking tab. Even with the lock off it's a bear to remove from the body. I've had maybe a dozen bodies since I bought the finder and it was tight on all of them.
 
I take a small strip of paper and put it under the VF when I slide it into the shoe. Generally this causes enough friction to prevent it from falling out. Sometimes the paper needs a single fold to be thick enough.

After watching a VIDOM fall onto the cobbles from a Leica II, I've never wanted a loose-fitting VF in the accessory shoe, ever.


The hair tie idea is an interesting alternative though, but would probably mess with the focusing tab on the LTM Leicas..
 
zuiko85 said:
What I find amazing is that 64 years after the M3 was introduced Leica never came up with an locking system for aux finders. Instead users are left with jury rigging a solution to avoid loss of a finder that often can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.
Click to expand...


It's interesting that a few other things were half developed, like the tinting of the RF and VF widows, the tripod cradles and so on...

Regards, David


PS and Leica is an anagram of Alice as in Alice Band... It's odd how these things are all linked!
 
The other thing that works for me with tightening viewfinder fitting is a small piece of film slid into the hotshoe. Seems appropriate...
 
Like Mr. Fibble, I use a slip of paper on my early ltm cameras. Apparently the shoe on ltm cameras was not as standardized as it later became. The hair ties might work, but I may try the piece of film, since there's always some of that left over when I trim the leader. Thanks for the ideas.
 
Some viewfinders have good idea with screw locking :


Voigtlander, here (nice VF but heavy so the fixing is really needed


voigt1535_2.jpg

Zoom finder 15-35



...


and Leica 21-24-28


P3012132.jpg
 
Remove the shoe and use cloth covered pliers to GENTLY close the gap on both sides. That has been the best option for me. I wouldn't do it if your finders have plastic feet for it will probably wear them down if you change often. I barely saved my Leitz finder last year before it fell out to be lost forever. When I only shot one film I used .015 fishing wire to secure them since I never changed lenses between bodies.
 
The Leica Frankenfinder has a lock-ring just like the 21-24-28. On the one or two finders I have that are slightly loose, a piece of tape on one foot of their shoe locks them with high friction into the shoe on any camera I've used.

G
 
That's a really good idea...I've never had any finders come off my M3 and none of the ones I've ever used feel loose in any way but I'm going to keep that little trick in mind.
 
Mr_Flibble said:
I take a small strip of paper and put it under the VF when I slide it into the shoe. Generally this causes enough friction to prevent it from falling out. Sometimes the paper needs a single fold to be thick.
Click to expand...

I do this with my old Leitz finders on older LTM cameras, except the IIIf which snugly holds the SBOOI. But my Zeiss finders on the new digitals and the M5 fit so tight that initially I thought they might not be compatible.
 
Just to explain my outfit, I use the 28mm finder on the M240 because I can't see the 28mm frame in the camera's finder even though I don't need glasses. The leica 28mm finder I find low in magnification but very accurate.

I also was somewhat disappointed to find that the 21mm Zeiss finder, although a wonderfully large bright undistorted view, has in fact the field of view of a 24mm lens. Perhaps I need an 18mm finder to match the 21mm lens.......


http://filmisadelight.com
 
zuiko85 said:
What I find amazing is that 64 years after the M3 was introduced Leica never came up with an locking system for aux finders. Instead users are left with jury rigging a solution to avoid loss of a finder that often can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.
Click to expand...

Um, that's not by design?
 
I saw a guy with a Barnack with a SBOOI very neatly secured to his IIf with aircraft safety wire. Not messing around. Not convenient, either...
 
Ah ha! The solution is........
“The Cheap Plastic Finder Company”
Honestly, why do finders have to be so glorious? Millions of little 2 element molded aspheric plastic finders were put in single use and other little plastic 35mm cameras.
So why couldn’t somebody produce these for shoe mount? In standard focal length views, i.e., for 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm......you get the idea.
Not as great as a $1000 finder, but for $20-$30 you wouldn’t cry as much when it went missing.
 
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